On April 23, Andy Mangan took the stage at the EarthX conference to share his expertise on the groundbreaking US BCSD Small Landowners Carbon Collaborative Project (SLCC). The EarthX Expo is the world's largest green gathering held annually around Earth Day in Dallas, Texas.

The Small Landowners Carbon Collaborative Project (SLCC) is a collaborative effort aimed at harnessing the potential of small landowners in joining forces to qualify for carbon credits. Through this project, these often-overlooked stakeholders are empowered to contribute meaningfully to carbon sequestration efforts, thereby playing a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of climate change.

One highlight of the day was Mangan's interview with renowned Dutch journalist Jurriaan Kamp, conducted within the EarthX studio. Their conversation provided valuable insights into the nuances of the SLCC, shedding light on its significance in the larger context of environmental stewardship.

Stay tuned for more updates on the SLCC project and for Andy’s EarthX interview footage coming soon.

Join us this summer as The Council of the Great Lakes Region, in partnership with the Toronto Region Board of Trade, hosts the Great Lakes Sustainable Growth Forum, taking place in Toronto from June 25-27, 2024.

Since its inception in 2015, the annual conference has emerged as a premier platform for leaders across business, government, academia, and nonprofits to convene. Together, we’ll tackle the most pressing socioeconomic and environmental challenges confronting the Great Lakes region.

This year's event promises dynamic discussions and innovative solutions as we explore ways to strengthen the region's long-term success and sustainable development. With a focus on cross-border and cross-sector collaboration, we're poised to drive impactful change. Don't miss the opportunity to hear from esteemed speakers, including Claude Griffin from the US Business Council for Sustainable Development

Click here to register!

On April 12, 2024, Prairie View A&M University hosted a gathering of leaders and innovators dedicated to advancing sustainability within various business and education sectors. The annual event, organized by the US Business Council for Sustainable Development, served as a dynamic platform for strategic planning, project updates, community engagement, and invaluable networking opportunities.

We look forward to continuing the tradition in 2025 and will continue to lean on the power of partnership and collective action in addressing today's most pressing sustainability challenges.

Introducing Carbon Markets 101: An engaging and informative video series developed by BCarbon, a non-profit carbon credit registry and research group. This series is designed to demystify the complex world of carbon credits and to outline the significance of carbon credits for small landowners, buyers and beyond.

In this series, BCarbon will delve into essential questions like: What exactly are carbon credits? How are they created, bought, and sold? And most importantly, why do they matter for you as a landowner and how can you get engaged?

The topics: 

• The Context: Carbon and Climate

• The Basics: What is a Carbon Credit?

• The Methods: How does Nature-Based Carbon Sequestration work?

• The Rules: What are Protocols and Registries?

• The Importance: Why Do People Want to Buy Carbon Credits? 

Thanks for watching, and please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions.

The US Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD) Annual Meeting will take place at Prairie View A&M University on April 12, 2024.

The annual meeting will include interactive presentations, project updates, community engagement activities, and networking opportunities. We would love to have you join us, and encourage you to share within your networks.

Specific agenda items to include:

• Strategic Planning Review

• Carbon Collaborative Updates

• Energy Transition

• Hydrogen

• CCUS

• Small Landowner Carbon Collaborative

• Carbon Forestry Credits

• Micro Nuclear Plant Developments

• PVAMU Transportation Institute

• PVAMU Carbon Utilization Redesign through Biomanufacturing-empowered (CURB)

• Community Engagement

• Green ICU

• PVAMU College of Engineering Tour

Register Here

A third of the Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the binational Great Lakes region, the economic engine of North America. In a region that is guardian to one of the world’s largest freshwater systems, one that holds 20% of earth’s surface freshwater, environmental stewardship and corporate sustainability is a responsibility and an expectation. 

But how do we know that companies in our communities are implementing global best practices and adhering to the highest standards that will help protect our Great Lakes? And how can businesses, both big and small, build trust and communicate their commitments on sustainability and climate action?

Transparent reporting of environmental impacts, including carbon emissions, is a critical element of consumer trust and a growing requirement of governments across the globe, and sustainability reporting standards can help companies understand and communicate their economic, environmental, and social impacts.

In the March 2024 webinar, co-hosted by CGLR and USBCSD as part of our Great Lakes Carbon Collaborative, we will hear from GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), an independent, international organization that sets standards and creates a global common language for impact reporting that fosters transparency, organizational accountability, and informed decision-making to advance sustainable development in the interest of all. The GRI Standards are the world's most widely used standards for sustainability reporting and are used by 78% of the world's largest companies.

During this one-hour webinar, we’ll hear about GRI’s approach to developing standards and how the reporting standards are helping companies communicate transparently. GRI will discuss the two-pillar reporting system and their role in the current sustainability and ESG disclosure landscape, as well as update us on new Climate Change and Energy Topic Standards revisions. If you are wanting to better understand and communicate your organization’s impact, including impact on climate change, be sure to register for this informative event.

Small acreage and minority landowners have limited means of protecting and managing their natural resources as well as contributing to sustainability efforts that would create a brighter future for not only them, but also generations to come. However, grants and other resources are available to help underserved farming communities bridge the gap between funding and implementation of nature-based greenhouse gas reduction methods, and that is exactly what a new collaborative aims to achieve.

The Small Landowners Carbon Collaborative is a partnership between BCarbon, a nonprofit carbon registry and climate research center, Prairie View A&M University and U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development. Representatives of these groups recently met at sites in East Texas to network and put momentum behind the initiative.

“Putting boots on the ground and meeting with landowners and members of this collaborative really put into perspective how important farmland, no matter how big or small, is to a sustainable future,” said Claude Griffin, USBCSD executive director. “We’re looking forward to seeing the positive results this collaborative can yield for small acreage and minority landowners in East Texas and for overall local sustainability efforts.”

Forests, soil and other natural resources can aid in carbon storage, making it critical that farmland is protected, healthy and resilient. As part of this initiative, the collaborative will help small acreage and minority landowners access and better understand complex carbon markets to diversify their finances and strengthen their operations over the long-term. In addition, the collaborative will help landowners introduce nature-based greenhouse gas reduction methods that will allow them to generate carbon credits (another potential stream of revenue) and contribute to local sustainability efforts.

While Prairie View A&M will leverage its Cooperative Extension Program network to perform outreach to landowners, USBCSD will tap into its network of industry stakeholders to develop a minority landowner program and, ultimately, help the collaborative reach its goals. And for its part, BCarbon, with the assistance from Prairie View A&M, will support the initial design of a business cooperative, or the grouping of small acreage and minority landowners, that is better positioned to participate in carbon markets and take advantage of carbon credit opportunities. The collaborative’s efforts are largely being supported by a Bia-Echo Foundation grant that was announced in July.

The U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD) is excited to announce its participation in the upcoming public planning workshop hosted by the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment (E&E). The event, scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, at the Gov. Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center in Pine Bluff, marks another step toward fostering innovation and opportunities in the state’s power sector.

E&E and its collaborative partners are dedicated to creating a comprehensive Arkansas Energy and Environment Innovation (EEI) plan. This plan is not only focused on pioneering sustainable practices but also aimed at empowering state and local government agencies to compete for more than $4 billion in federal funding available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The US BCSD recognizes the importance of this initiative and eagerly joins the conversation to contribute to sustainable and innovative solutions in the power sector.

The public workshop, which runs from 12-5 p.m. is designed to be an inclusive platform for various stakeholders. Attendees can look forward to engaging presentations and stimulating breakout discussions. This event is not just about discussing ideas; it’s about taking concrete steps towards shaping a more sustainable and environmentally responsible power sector for the state of Arkansas.

The US BCSD is honored to be part of this significant endeavor and looks forward to working closely with all stakeholders to drive innovation and progress in the power sector. We believe that the collaboration between industry leaders, government agencies and environmental advocates is essential in achieving these goals.

To learn more about the upcoming workshop, visit: https://ee.arkansas.gov/news-post/meeting-scheduled-to-discuss-arkansas-focused-innovation-plans-2/.

Houston, October 3, 2023 – The US Business Council for Sustainable Development has joined Houston Methodist Center for Critical Care to launch the Green ICU (Intensive Care Unit) Initiative. 

Goals of the Green ICU Initiative include cutting carbon emissions, establishing systematic material reuse, and implementing collaborative solutions by engaging partners throughout the Greater Houston area. 

The carbon footprint of the U.S. healthcare system is estimated to be 10% of national greenhouse gas (GHG) production. The carbon footprint of a U.S. hospital added up to 300 lbs. CO2-e per bed day for ICU patients – equivalent to emissions of a car driven about 600 miles per patient per day.

Initial Green ICU activity has centered on quantifying materials flowing in and out of the ICU. The team has also begun working with representatives of the ASTM Sustainability Committee (E60) and its medical subcommittee on standards for ICUs.

While green ICUs have been a focus for healthcare in other countries including Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, this appears to be the first of its kind in the United States. Leaders such as Dr. Heather Baid from Brighton University in the UK, Dr. Lousie Trent in New Zealand and Dr. Jean Louise Vincent from Brussels have also agreed to share best practices and join this emerging collaborative for sustainability in the ICU. 

We are very proud and excited to announce our receipt of The Innovative Diversity and Carbon Credit Grant from the Bia Echo Foundation! Read more here.

On May 31st from 1-2 pm ET, The US Business Council of Sustainable Development and The Council of The Great Lakes Region will be hosting a webinar on “The Overlooked Link of a True Net Zero Strategy – Efficiency and Technology." Event speaker, Brandi Nye, Managing Director of Business Solutions, at AEP Energy will walk through energy efficiency measures and technologies that are often overlooked due to their technical and sophisticated nature. Innovative energy technologies can help organizations reach their net-zero goals while reducing costs and the burden of securing scarce renewable energy resources. Attendees will gain an understanding of solutions and execution strategies to enhance their net-zero objectives. The event will be moderated by Lora Shrake, Senior Program Director, Business and Sustainability, Council of the Great Lakes Region and Claude Griffin, Executive Director, US Business Council for Sustainable Development. Click the link to read more about the webinar and register to attend! https://councilgreatlakesregion.org/webinar-may-31-the-overlooked-link-of-a-true-net-zero-strategy-efficiency-and-technology/

TORONTO, Ontario and HOUSTON, Texas, September 29, 2021 – The United States Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD), a leading business and sustainability association, today announced a strategic partnership with the bi-national Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR). The relationship will focus on developing and implementing a new initiative called the Great Lakes Carbon Collaborative (GLCC), which will be officially launched on October 29th.

Built to facilitate cross-sector engagement across sectors, customers, and suppliers up and down the value stream, the GLCC, modeled on the US BCSD’s successful Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative, will be driven by business and focused on developing and implementing initiatives that reduce carbon emissions across the economy while minimizing business impacts.

“By bringing interested companies, research institutes, NGOs and governments together, we will accelerate decarbonization activity in the Great Lakes region,” said Andy Mangan, Executive Director of the US BCSD.

The bi-national Great Lakes region is North America’s economic engine and the core of the long-standing, fully-integrated economic relationship between the United States and Canada, making the region, which is home to 107 million people and has a combined GDP of US$6.0 trillion, an ideal place for both countries to come together to discuss shared decarbonization interests and solutions.

“There’s tremendous industrial activity in the bi-national Great Lakes Region and companies are more motivated than ever to reduce carbon emissions,” said Mark Fisher, President and CEO of CGLR. “That’s why CGLR is very excited to be joining forces with the US BCSD to launch the Great Lakes Carbon Collaborative because businesses need a regional forum to learn about different decarbonization strategies, techniques, and ways they can work together to drive greater carbon reduction.”

About the US BCSD

The US BCSD is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit business association that harnesses the power of collaborative projects, platforms and partnerships to develop, deploy and scale solutions to ecosystems, energy, materials carbon, and water challenges. For more information visit https://usbcsd.org/.

About the CGLR

CGLR is a binational network of organizations comprising CGLR Canada, CGLR USA (501c6) and the CGLR Foundation (501c3). It is dedicated to creating stronger, more dynamic regional collaborations through dialogue, policy research and programs, and advocacy to find new ways of harnessing the Great Lakes region’s economic strengths and assets, improving the well-being and livelihoods of the region’s citizens, and protecting the environment for future generations. Visit CGLR on the Internet at https://councilgreatlakesregion.org/.

Contact

Claude Griffin
Program Director
US Business Council for Sustainable Development
griffin@usbcsd.org

Lora Shrake
Program Manager - Business and Sustainability
Council of the Great Lakes Region
lora@councilgreatlakesregion.org

New circular economy program connects businesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs to develop and scale reuse and recycling market opportunities

Tacoma, Wash., August 5, 2021 - The City of Tacoma, Seattle Good Business Network, and the US Business Council for Sustainable Development today announced the launch of a new program that allows for circular reuse of products and materials that might otherwise be destined for disposal in landfills. Through the Washington Materials Marketplace, traditional and non-traditional waste streams are matched with new reuse and recycling opportunities that result in landfill diversion, carbon reduction, cost savings, energy savings, and new job opportunities. This platform will aid both public and private sectors in reaching our region’s climate action and equity goals.This approach to enhancing recycling and reuse is quite different from previous approaches.

• The Washington Materials Marketplace's online platform is actively facilitated, which means activity is monitored and reuse opportunities are identified and pushed to relevant companies as recommendations. If the parties involved need assistance or an opportunity stalls, the platform is there to step in and facilitate movement.

• It is easy to use. Users can post materials and engage other parties without taking too much time. The application is mobile-friendly and will alert users when there is activity on their posted material.

• Today, more companies than ever are under pressure to show progress toward sustainability goals and to engage with community partners and collaborative solutions. The Washington Materials Marketplace helps companies accomplish goals and report successes.

• It is inclusive. Programming will include circular product design and redesign workshops, technical assistance and 1:1 consultation to also include support for BIPOC- and women-owned businesses and micro enterprises.

The Washington Materials Marketplace joins other regional Materials Marketplace initiatives, including programs in Austin, Tennessee, Ohio, Ontario, and Michigan. This hybrid approach allows for deep engagement with Washington-specific challenges and opportunities, and to facilitate interaction at the national scale when appropriate.

To date, the Materials Marketplace program nationally has helped divert over 17 million pounds of material to higher and better use, generating over $1.6 million in value to participating businesses and organizations. Unique transactions include unleaded CRT glass going into tile manufacturing, reuse of business furniture and fixtures, and reuse of high-volume off-spec or unneeded chemicals. The Washington Materials Marketplace is free to join for companies and organizations in Washington and was funded through a grant from the Washington Department of Ecology. For more information and to request an invitation, visit https://washington.materialsmarketplace.org

About the City of Tacoma

Located on the land of the Puyallup Tribe and birthplace of world renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, Tacoma is home to a vibrant, creative community of writers, artists and musicians, photographers, filmmakers, passionate entrepreneurs and business owners. This city of over 200,000 is experiencing unprecedented growth. With more than $1 billion being invested in downtown Tacoma alone, private investment has surpassed public investment by a nearly 4:1 ratio. With sweeping mountain, city and water views, urbanites and families alike gravitate toward Tacoma’s charming neighborhoods with big city amenities. Founded in 1918, the Port of Tacoma provides nearly $3 billion in economic activity, moving goods from all corners of Washington and the United States through the Tideflats to people all over the world. Tacoma is a city on the rise.

About the Seattle Good Business Network

Seattle Good Business Network is a coalition of residents, local businesses, non-profits, and municipal organizations. Its mission is to connect and inspire people to buy, produce, and invest locally, so that everyone has a meaningful stake in the local economy. Founded in 2010, its economic development programming is designed to build an economy that is vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive. Programs include Good Food Economy, that works to strengthen local food systems and supply chains; Good Food Kitchens, supporting community kitchens and local farms in providing meals to communities in-need; Seattle Restaurant Week; and Seattle Made, a collaborative program supporting over 650 urban manufacturers and producers, in addition to youth workforce development, and sustainability, and circular economy initiatives. Learn more at seattlegood.org

About the US BCSD

The US BCSD is an action-oriented and member-led nonprofit business association, founded in 1992 to give leading US businesses a platform to mobilize boots on the ground and work together to design, implement and scale sustainability solutions. Business-led platforms, projects and partnerships are helping leading companies scale solutions to ecosystems, cities, circular economy and water challenges. Since 2014, the US BCSD’s Circular Economy platform has led development of the Materials Marketplace - an award-winning regional and national platform that connects businesses to develop and scale new reuse and recycling market opportunities. Manufacturers are using the Marketplace to source materials and find new solutions for challenging wastes and by-products, recycling companies are uncovering new customers and end-markets, and entrepreneurs are using the program as an innovation platform to build new reuse and recycling businesses. Learn more at https://usbcsd.org.

Fine Tune joins the United States Business Council for Sustainable Development to work with leading US companies on acceleration of sustainable solutions to ecosystems, carbon, circular economy and water challenges

AUSTIN, TX. – April 7, 2021 – Fine Tune, a provider of indirect expense management services, has joined the US Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD), an action-oriented and member-led nonprofit business association, founded in 1992 to give leading US businesses a platform to work together to design, implement and scale sustainability solutions. US BCSD-led platforms, projects and partnerships help leading companies scale solutions to ecosystems, climate, circular economy and water challenges.

Delivering hard-dollar savings, Fine Tune manages clients’ complex tail spend expense categories – including waste and recycling, uniform rental, facility services, security services, and pest control – throughout their full contract life cycle from sourcing to negotiating to auditing and service issue resolution. Sustainability and supply are inevitably intertwined, and Fine Tune is thus leading the charge to integrate the two from an expense management perspective, providing solutions that not only advance clients’ sustainability efforts but improve bottom lines as well.

As a US BCSD member, Fine Tune will work with other US BCSD member companies and partners on a variety of cross-industry sustainability initiatives, using the US BCSD’s proven methodology for translating business goals into actionable projects and programs. This includes active engagement in the US BCSD’s Materials Marketplace program, a US-wide program to develop and scale new reuse and recycling market opportunities. To date, the Materials Marketplace has helped companies divert over 14 million pounds of material to higher and better use, creating over $1.4 million in estimated economic value.

Engaging in US BCSD’s Materials Marketplace program will provide Fine Tune with opportunities to better understand the sustainability needs of clients, learn of sustainability and circularity solutions for recommendation to clients, and ultimately bridge the gap between end-product “waste” and reuse ROI.

“Membership in the US BCSD opens up access to an influential, collaborative and diverse network of business-sustainability practitioners and subject matter experts around the US,” says Andrew Mangan, Executive Director of the US BCSD. “Fine Tune is uniquely positioned to work with other US BCSD members in our facilitated, neutral setting on joint projects that capitalize on opportunities and address pressing sustainability challenges.”

“It is clear in every way that it is no longer acceptable for sustainability and circularity to simply ‘sit’ as concepts at the forefront of businesses’ ambitions,” says Chad Roeder, Director of Waste and Recycling Services for Fine Tune. “Rather, it is paramount that real-world actions with tangible results be implemented. US BCSD is a leader in facilitating sustainable solutions by and between businesses, and Fine Tune’s membership will enhance our ability to serve clients through an active participation in the Materials Marketplace, with an end result of addressing clients’ circularity goals while increasing their bottom lines.”

About Fine Tune

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Fine Tune partners with companies to source, negotiate, manage and audit certain complex indirect expense programs. Led by executive-level industry insiders, Fine Tune has also developed proprietary auditing software which monitors client invoices to ensure adherence with the implemented agreements. Several of the world’s most recognizable brands have chosen Fine Tune, including Cargill, Pep Boys, Siemens, Advance Auto Parts, Caterpillar, and MilliporeSigma. For more information, visit www.FineTuneUS.com/sustainability.

About the US Business Council for Sustainable Development

The US BCSD is an action-oriented and member-led nonprofit business association, founded in 1992 to give leading US businesses a platform to mobilize boots on the ground and work together to design, implement and scale sustainability solutions. Business-led platforms, projects and partnerships are helping leading companies scale solutions to ecosystems, cities, circular economy and water challenges. Since 2014, the US BCSD’s Circular Economy platform has led development of the Materials Marketplace - an award-winning regional and national platform that connects businesses to develop and scale new reuse and recycling market opportunities. Manufacturers are using the Marketplace to source materials and find new solutions for challenging wastes and by-products, recycling companies are uncovering new customers and end-markets, and entrepreneurs are using the program as an innovation platform to build new reuse and recycling businesses. Learn more at https://usbcsd.org.

AUSTIN, TX – The City of Austin is accepting applications from local businesses and institutions to participate in the sixth annual [Re]Verse Pitch Competition, a program that aims to reduce waste in Austin and within the business community.

The [Re]Verse Pitch Competition is seeking businesses with surplus materials or by-product waste to apply to be a material supplier, as many businesses and organizations have waste products that have more economic potential than being sent to the landfill. As a material supplier, businesses will pitch their surplus material to competing innovators and entrepreneurs, who will create a new product or business venture using the material. Competing entrepreneurs will receive guidance as they create a business plan and test their concepts for viability. Details on the prize will be announced in the coming months.

The deadline to apply to become a material supplier for the [Re]Verse Pitch Competition is December 9, 2020. The application can be found here.

As a material supplier, Austin businesses could cut their disposal costs, create new partnerships among the business community, have a positive social and economic impact in Austin, and establish new systems for waste reduction.

The [Re]Verse Pitch Competition is also seeking volunteer mentors and advisors; volunteer opportunities can be found here. For more information, visit reversepitch.org.

The [Re]Verse Pitch Competition is a collaboration between the City of Austin, the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce, and the US Business Council for Sustainable Development with additional support from a wide variety of community partners.

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About the Circular Economy Program | The City of Austin Circular Economy Program’s mission is to attract, retain, and grow businesses, non-profits, and entrepreneurs in the zero waste industry in order to create well-paying local jobs, attract investment, and support the necessary infrastructure for a resilient circular economy in Central Texas. The program is a partnership between Austin Resource Recovery and the Economic Development Department.

About Austin Resource Recovery | Austin Resource Recovery provides a wide range of services designed to transform waste into resources while keeping our community clean. Services include curbside collection of recycling, trash, yard trimmings and large brush and bulk items; street sweeping; dead animal collection; household hazardous waste disposal and recycling; and outreach and education. Austin Resource Recovery offers free, voluntary and confidential consulting services to help Austin businesses reduce waste and comply with the City’s recycling ordinances. In December 2011, the Austin City Council approved the Austin Resource Recovery Master Plan, which is the City’s road map to Zero Waste. The City of Austin is committed to reducing the amount of waste sent to area landfills by 90 percent by 2040. Learn more at austinrecycles.com.

About the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce | The Austin Young Chamber promotes the general economic interests of the Central Texas business community through initiatives and efforts designed to build and strengthen our young professional workforce. Connect with the Austin Young Chamber on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, or check out upcoming programs at austinyc.org.

Members of the Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative and invited guests are meeting on April 8, 2020 on Zoom Video Conference for the group’s first quarterly working meeting.

The online working meeting will include presentations, facilitated discussion and working group breakout sessions focusing on project development around key content areas defined at the December launch meeting in New Orleans. These include land-based sequestration, CCUS, electrification, strategy/technology information sharing, and barriers and enablers related to policy and regulation, education and communications.

Learn more on our newly launched website, carbon-collaborative.org.

UL and the United States Business Council for Sustainable Development have agreed to support the expansion of US BCSD's Materials Marketplace and help companies secure recognition for reuse through third-party certification.

ATLANTA- December 10, 2019 – The US Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD) has entered into an agreement with UL to support the expansion of the Materials Marketplace and help companies secure recognition for reuse through third-party certification.

As part of the agreement, UL and US BCSD will work to extend third-party validation services such as UL’s standards for circularity, recycled content and waste diversion, to members of the Material Marketplace, which will help them demonstrate recognition for their efforts to help create a more circular economy. The organizations will collaborate on market education and outreach efforts to continue to “expand the circle” and drive development and scale of new reuse and recycling market opportunities with business and industry in the US.

“The idea that a company can find value in something that another does not need is one aspect of what makes the circular economy so popular across industries and sectors,” said Catherine Sheehy, global lead of sustainability partnerships for UL’s Environment & Sustainability division. “The US BCSD’s Materials Marketplace facilitates the need to find and create value from materials that would normally be considered waste on an industrial level, and UL can support their clients through auditing and validation services that strengthen and support the growth of that marketplace by creating added value in the transactions to all parties involved.”

“This agreement advances the US BCSD and UL’s shared goals of enabling new opportunities for economic growth that do not depend solely on extracting more raw materials or buying new,” said Andrew Mangan, executive director of the US Business Council for Sustainable Development. He continued, “The marketplace helps scale reuse and generates cost savings, energy savings, and helps create new jobs. This collaboration with UL offers the more than 2,000 participants the chance to amplify the success of these efforts through science-based validation from UL and facilitate access to those are searching for more circular products and services from more sustainable organizations.”

About UL

UL helps create a better world by applying science to solve safety, security and sustainability challenges. We empower trust by enabling the safe adoption of innovative new products and technologies. Everyone at UL shares a passion to make the world a safer place. All of our work, from independent research and standards development, to testing and certification, to providing analytical and digital solutions, helps improve global well-being. Businesses, industries, governments, regulatory authorities and the public put their trust in us so they can make smarter decisions. To learn more, visit UL.com.

About the US Business Council for Sustainable Development

The US BCSD is an action-oriented and member-led nonprofit business association, founded in 1992 to give leading US businesses a platform to mobilize boots on the ground and work together to design, implement and scale sustainability solutions. Business-led platforms, projects and partnerships are helping leading companies scale solutions to ecosystems, cities, circular economy and water challenges. Since 2014, the US BCSD’s Circular Economy platform has led development of the Materials Marketplace - an award-winning regional and national platform that connects businesses to develop and scale new reuse and recycling market opportunities. Manufacturers are using the Marketplace to source materials and find new solutions for challenging wastes and by-products, recycling companies are uncovering new customers and end-markets, and entrepreneurs are using the program as an innovation platform to build new reuse and recycling businesses. Learn more at https://usbcsd.org.

NEW ORLEANS, December 4, 2019 Nearly five dozen Gulf Coast industry representatives from the automotive, power, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, chemical, refining, and transportation sectors came together this week to share and scale decarbonization strategies at the inaugural meeting of the Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative. The Collaborative is the first-of-its-kind industry initiative focused on cross-sector solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Companies are looking for ways to further reduce their own carbon footprints and those of other industry sectors as the region focuses on resiliency in the face of growing climate change effects such as rising sea levels and extreme weather, endangering coastal communities and industrial infrastructure.

“There is tremendous industrial activity in the Gulf Coast Region supporting a strong economy. At the same time, companies want to avoid putting more carbon into the atmosphere. They are interested in learning different strategies, techniques and ways they can work together to leverage greater carbon reduction.” - Andrew Mangan, Founder of US BCSD

A broad range of stakeholders want to see companies take the lead in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and forward-thinking companies have been responding by modernizing equipment, switching to electricity/other low- and zero-carbon fuels, and using both nature and technology to capture and store carbon. The Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative was organized by the US Business Council for Sustainable Development and Entergy Corporation to accelerate cross-industry carbon reduction.

The US BCSD is a nonprofit business association that gives leading businesses a shared platform to identify and jointly solve critical sustainability challenges. The collaborative is designed to establish new projects that help companies reach carbon reduction goals. It is an action-based model that can be replicated in other parts of the country.

“If we can bring the collective power of this group and examples of the projects that come out of it to bear on developing good policies, they are much more likely to become reality.” - Chuck Barlow, vice president, sustainability and environmental policy for Entergy. “The result will be greater net benefits to our communities and our planet.”

Entergy is an integrated energy company that delivers electricity to customers in multiple states covered by the collaborative including Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy made a commitment to action on climate change more than 20 years ago, recognizing the threat it posed to the health and vitality of the Gulf region the company serves. Entergy adopted a new emission rate reduction goal and issued a climate scenario analysis earlier this year.

A new report by the nonprofit Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) recommends that companies seek out opportunities to work across sectors to reduce emissions, which is the basis of the Gulf Coast Carbon Collaborative. Interested companies are encouraged to join the effort.

“Decarbonization will move faster and more efficiently if more oars are rowing in the same direction,” the report, Getting to Zero: a U.S. Climate Agenda, notes.

For more information:

• Visit usbcsd.org/gc3

• Daniel Kietzer at the US BCSD; kietzer@usbcsd.org or 512.981.5417

• Neal Kirby at Entergy; nkirby@entergy.com or 504.576.4238

Download the Report

P4G – Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 – is a new initiative, commenced in 2018, with the ambition of becoming the world’s leading forum for developing concrete public-private partnerships at scale to deliver on the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement. P4G brings together business, government, and civil society organizations in innovative public-private partnerships to advance solutions that help meet humanity’s greatest needs in five key areas: food and agriculture, water, energy, cities and circular economy.

The Vietnam Materials Marketplace - a P4G partnership - is a materials trading system that directs Vietnam’s booming manufacturing industries towards the circular economy. Vietnam is one of the fastest growing countries in Asia, hosting a thriving manufacturing economy and serving as a hub for much of the world’s material flows. But the amount of materials deposited in Vietnam’s landfills is a significant health and environmental challenge. In fact, material production and use drive the largest amount of greenhouse gas emissions globally.

The Materials Marketplace takes this challenge head on – helping manufacturers reduce both waste disposal and excessive production through an online marketplace where manufacturers can buy, sell or trade materials and equipment suitable for further or alternative use. This model will move industrial waste up the value chain into its highest and best use, reducing environmental impact and using circular economy principles to grow Vietnam’s economy in a sustainable and resilient way.

Through support from The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the US BCSD, the Materials Marketplace will use successful, proven models from other industry hubs around the world to increase efficiencies, reduce costs, and enhance quality of life in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Materials Marketplace concluded its partnership period with P4G in July 2019. This closeout report discusses how P4G partnership funding enabled the partnership to research, evaluate and map specific gaps in the Vietnam waste, reuse and recycling ecosystems to inform the design and configuration of their proposed marketplace.

Florim USA and Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations connect through the Tennessee Materials Marketplace to close the loop on end-of-life materials

Americans dispose of some 10 million metric tons of reusable materials, like glass, annually. Most of it ends up in the landfill, and only about one-third gets recycled. That’s not because of some intrinsic materials or chemical property that makes materials like plastic and glass difficult to recycle, but rather a reflection of a very challenging interplay between collection processes, market supply and demand, and rising freight costs to move material in the US.

“Glass is 100% recyclable,” says Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, executive director of the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council (GMIC), a nonprofit trade association. “It has an unlimited life and can be melted and recycled endlessly to make new glass products with no loss in quality,” he adds.

The difficulty is that most processes that can use recycled glass need it to be clean, sorted by color, and/or meet some minimal contamination requirements. This is difficult for our single-stream recycling systems in the US to produce. Glass is also very heavy, making it difficult for manufacturers to source recycled glass at a manageable cost.

That being said, there are some very creative companies right here in Tennessee finding ways to “mine” this valuable material.

Photo courtesy of Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations

In Clarksville, TN, Florim USA is producing large format porcelain tiles that offer surfaces for all requirements in architecture, interior design and building construction. The American subsidiary of the Florim Group, based in Italy, Florim USA is one of the largest and most technologically advanced porcelain facilities in North America. The process they use is considered “closed-loop,” with all waste generated throughout the six processing operations recycled back through the system.

Not only that, but they can and do utilize a variety of post-consumer and post-industrial materials as a raw material in their tiles, replacing various virgin raw materials. They are committed to producing high-quality products in an efficient and environmentally sustainable manner, constantly exploring the latest technological advances and best management practices. Active material exploration is one reason they are an engaged participant in the Tennessee Materials Marketplace.

"At Florim we are focused on the environment and its sustainability. Post-consumer material is an aspect of the process that Don Haynes and his team have been working on for several years. We are now very proud to be able to use post-consumer materials in all of our tiles," said Marco Fregni, CEO at Florim USA.

Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations is a full-service electronics and materials lifecycle management company with locations in Onalaska, Wisconsin and Nashville, Tennessee. They have years of experience managing the unique risks and regulations of organizations seeking to safely participate in recycling, while safeguarding sensitive data and protecting the environment from e-waste and other pollutants by closing the loop for all sorts of electronic devices.

One of the challenges Dynamic has managed to tackle is end-of-life materials from electronics. Dynamic utilizes a proprietary process to separate the different kinds of components of electronic wastes, and as a result is producing millions of pounds of recyclable materials in clean commodity form.

Dynamic is also an active user on the Tennessee Materials Marketplace. While working on the platform to identify opportunities for buying used gaylord boxes, they noticed that Florim USA had posted a “wanted material” listing detailing specific post-consumer materials they could use in their manufacturing process. Once connected, it didn’t take long for the two parties to see the potential for a reuse application, especially as they began to explore the logistics of the deal.

Dynamic’s trucks regularly make the trip from Wisconsin to their location in Nashville, TN to pick up recyclable items needing special processing. They can now make one productive loop - taking full truckloads of material south, and returning north with full truckloads of materials from their Nashville facility.

Both companies see this as a significant win, the regions they serve and for the Tennessee Materials Marketplace. The application makes financial sense, environmental sense and it demonstrates how important the right connections can be. As often happens, both companies are beginning to explore other materials and improved methods of delivery and packaging that will smooth the process even more.

Is your company looking to source by-products and recycled materials to use in your products, or establish new end-markets for existing materials? The Tennessee Materials Marketplace may be able to help. It’s quick and easy to get engaged - click here get set up in our program today.

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About Dynamic LIfecycle Innovations

• Website: thinkdynamic.com

• Facebook: click here

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About Florim USA

• Website: www.milestonetiles.com

• Facebook: click here